'I didn't have confidence in myself' - Wout van Aert bags green jersey but regrets missed opportunity in Vuelta a España breakaway

Key Points:

• Wout van Aert expressed regret for underestimating himself on the final climb of a Vuelta a España stage, where he was part of a five-man breakaway but was ultimately beaten by two stronger climbers from the Uno-X team.
• Despite the disappointment, Van Aert achieved his primary goal by securing 20 points at the intermediate sprint and finishing third on the stage, boosting him to lead the points classification with 104 points, narrowly ahead of Tadej Pogačar.
• Van Aert is now contesting the green jersey competition, which requires strong climbing ability in this race, and he remains optimistic about maintaining his challenge if his legs hold up.
• Internal competition exists within Van Aert’s team, Visma, where Matthew Brennan, a two-stage winner, is also in the points classification but trails Van Aert by a significant margin.
• Pogačar has suggested Visma must decide who their primary green jersey contender is, but Van Aert currently appears to be the team's focus, having also played a supportive role in setting up Brennan for sprints.